Chair for an enhanced learning environment

ABSTRACT

A chair with a vertically moveable seat member and a knee-shin rest member mounted on a base unit with foot rest members in a relationship to provide a kneeling-like sitting position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/619,445, filed Oct. 15, 2005, the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated herein by this reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to seating and more particularly to a chairproviding movement and dynamic activity and is especially useful in thelearning environment for students.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Some students are very sluggish and tend to lay their heads on theirdesks or prop themselves up on their elbows. Other students tend to beso full of the wiggles that they can't stop bothering their neighbors orfocus on the directions from the teacher. Both groups of students needhelp with getting “ready” to learn. With the expectation that no childwill be left behind, schools and teachers need help with providing thestudent with learning options. Diversity within a classroom is becomingmore of a requirement, simply because students are all different andlearn differently. Teachers are learning that providing a number ofdifferent seating/working equipment is helping students learn. A varietyof classroom seating positions allows students to choose what works bestfor them.

Definition of Terms

-   -   Sensation: This is food for the brain, sometimes called input or        ascending information. Normally we think of vision, hearing,        taste, smell and touch. With sensory processing, we include and        emphasize the sensations of body position (proprioception), and        vestibular (movement/gravity) information. The four most        important sensory systems related to sensory processing are        tactile (touch), vestibular (gravity/movement), proprioception        (muscle/joint) and auditory (hearing).    -   Tactile Sensation: Our sense of touch. We have two very        different ways of knowing about our body boundary through touch;        one is defensive in nature (I think I have a spider on my neck)        and the other discriminative (no, it's the collar on my shirt).        We are especially rich in touch receptors in our hands, feet and        around our face and neck.    -   Vestibular Information: The inner ear collects sound, movement        and gravity information. Gravity and movement information is        vestibular sensation. It allows us to know where we are in        space, what direction we are moving and how fast. We reflexively        right ourselves when we are out of the line of gravity so we do        not fall. This is constant information, and is considered one of        the most powerful sensations for alert/arousal and a tool in        Sensory Integration therapy.    -   Proprioception: Every muscle fiber of every muscle has a tiny        sensor that tracks the length and rate of change of that muscle        fiber. The muscle and joint receptors are constantly informing        the central nervous system (the brain) of our “body map”. A rich        source of proprioception is our plantar flexors (calves).    -   Auditory Information: Listening to all sounds around us helps us        locate our place in space. Language processing is only one part        of auditory function. We must screen out unimportant sound and        focus and orient to important sounds. To be safe from harm is        one of the primary functions of auditory processing.    -   Defensiveness To Sensation: When sensation tells us that        something is dangerous; we immediately turn on our “freeze,        fight or flight” response. For instance, with touch, we have to        discriminate what is touching us, where it is and how dangerous        it is before we can attend to anything else in our environment.        After a while even the possibility of a noxious sensation is        perceived as a threat.    -   Threshold: This is the amount of stimulation is takes to fire        off the first signals of sensory information. Some students have        a low threshold (low amounts of stimulation gets the signal        started). Others may need a lot of stimulation to start the        signal.    -   Modulation: The first order screening, dampening down and        directing of sensation. Think of this concept as a traffic        police officer at a very busy intersection. Some sensory        information is tuned up, and some is tuned down or out.        Modulation is key to creating order, and “making sense” of the        vast amount of incoming information. A powerful environmental        modulator is music. Some neurochemicals are modulators, like        serotonin, dopamine and NE.    -   Sensory Integration: This is the product of the result of        Vestibular Information, modulation and association between        sensory systems. 99% of all neurons are association fibers!

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The chair of this invention is another seating option for teachers andschools to include in their classrooms and provides movement and dynamicactivity. Providing movement and dynamic activity for students whilethey learn is based on the theory of sensory processing. This is atheory that reflects recent brain science about how we learn and storecognitive information, and most importantly what contributes toretention and continued growth in education.

The huge implicit sensory systems of vestibular (movement and gravity,located in the inner ear), proprioceptive (muscle spindle activity) andtactile (skin boundary) are important for the “physical sense of self”.The physical sense of self is the foundation for a psychological senseof self. A psychological sense of self allows higher cognitive functionof attention, memory and problem solving. In a classroom a child musthave a reliable foundation in order to learn. The physical sense of selfalso relies on good sleep, nutrition and emotional supports. Symptoms ofADHD, Autism and Learning Problems appear to be on the rise. Thesechildren require enriched learning experiences to reach their potential.

The seating positions of the chair of this invention offer severalphysical advantages to learners. These positions “alert” the system bystimulating the anti-gravity muscles. This activates head and neckactivity that helps focus the eyes on what is important. A student whois in a position of sitting upright with legs “locked” into a kneelingposition feels more “grounded,” safe and secure. The arms are free towork at tabletop activity such as writing or math work. The chairpermits the hips to be active and as a result, the spine becomes active.This is feeding the systems that tell us where we are, what is up/down,and in what relationship we are to other people and objects. It feedsthe discriminatory central brain systems that help us inhibit extraneousstimulation or tune out what is unimportant, like the noise of theneighbors pencil or the scratching of items or voices other than theteachers. The brain chemicals that help us modulate (tune up what isimportant and tune down what is unimportant) are all elicited by thehuge sensory systems of vestibular, proprioception and tactileinformation.

Sitting in the chair the user, generally a student, is placed in akneeling-like sitting position with the feet firmly against rests on thefloor. The chair has a seat member, a knee-shin rest member and a restmember for each foot. A base unit supports the seat member, theknee-shin rest member and the foot rest members. The seat member isloosely supported in the base unit to permit vertical movement of theseat member against a spring in the base unit. This results in bounce ofthe seat member which causes strong sensation to two large sensorysystems, viz., the vestibular and proprioception.

The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will be more fully understood when considered with respect tothe detailed description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view from the left rear of the chair, inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from the left front of the chair, inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the right front of the chair, inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the right front of the supportcomponents of the base unit in exploded view of the chair, in accordancewith this invention;

FIG. 5A is a left-side elevation view in cross-section of the seatmembers of the chair, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5B is a front elevation view of the base of the seat member withattaching means, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5C is a cut-away view of a portion of an end of the base showingthe attaching means and corresponding hole, in the base, in accordancewith this invention;

FIG. 5D is a perspective view of the bottom of the seat member showingthe cover attached to the base, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 5E is a perspective view from the front showing the bottom of thebase, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 6 is a left-side elevation view of the seat member with theattachment means (in phantom) and a portion of the upper part of thebase unit, in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 7 is a left-side elevation view in cross-section of the knee-shinerest member, in accordance with this invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates the chair in use, in accordance with this invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The chair of this invention provides movement and dynamic activity andis designed to activate specific musculature, while locking studentsinto an upright, kneeling-like position. This allows and providesdynamic rocking and movement activity, which helps a student to be alertand orient to pertinent learning information while remaining in his/herrespective learning place. The chair affects attention to learningopportunity, fine motor legibility (handwriting or motor planning), andwritten production along with educational retention. Movement isrelevant to memory. Occupational therapists continue to develop thetools for classrooms in order to address sensory processing issues. Thischair is a seating option for learning.

The chair, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 8, has three basic components.Namely, a seat member 40, a knee-shin rest member 50, and foot restmembers 60 and 61, which are interconnected and supported by base orbase unit 70. Seat 40 is attached to base 70 and is supported above thebase 70 by supports 45 and 46. The knee-shin rest 50 is attached to thebase 70 and supported above the base 70 by supports 52 and 53. Theknee-shin rest 50 has a bearing surface 51, which contacts and supportsthe knees and shins of the occupant or user of the chair. A thirdimportant component of the chair are the foot rests 60 and 61. Footrests 60 and 61 are part of the base 70 and provides stabilization ofthe chair in use.

The foot rests serve an important function for student learning whilethe student is using the chair. A large percentage of proprioception(physical/muscle sense) is submitted to central nervous systems via theplantar flexors and knee extensors (calf and thigh muscles).Proprioception is associated with strong physical sense of selfnecessary for sense of safety and adequate motor planning in response toboth gross and fine motor classroom challenges. Occupational therapistswork on readiness as a prerequisite to learning. Many children rock intheir chairs or get out of their chairs because they are sensoryseeking. They are seeking strong physical sense of self in order to calmdown or alert/arouse according to their specific learning needs.

The size of the components making up the chair is dictated by thematerial used and the size of the occupant for which the chair isdesigned. The chair may be made up of many different materials. Forexample, tubular aluminum is light in weight and strong and may be usedas the support and base of the chair. Steel or titanium are alsomaterials that may be used for the chair. Although not in any waylimited to PVC, the chair of this invention will be described using PVCas the material for the base 70, including, the footrests 60 and 61 andthe supports 45, 46 and 52, 53. PVC is a relatively inexpensive materialand easy to assemble and easy to cut to various lengths as required forthe size of the occupant for which the chair is designed.

The seat 40 is moveable up and down to provide bounce. When using PVCthe bounce or movement is provided by spring 47 on the left side, shownin FIG. 4, and spring 48 on the right side. The springs fit inside thetubular PVC as shown in FIG. 4 and have a resistance that is selectedbased on the weight of the user of the chair, with increased resistancefor increased weight. The occupant's or the student's weight forces theseat 40 down while the springs 47 and 48 force the seat upward creatingthe bounce. This allows the seat to have approximately 2-5 inches of upand down dynamic activity. This bouncing by the chair occupant elicitsstrong sensation to two large sensory systems, mainly the vestibular andproprioception. The bouncing causes extension and proprioceptive inputwith antigravity spinal musculature (in order to align with the angle ofgravity). The gravity receptors located in vestibular chambers (innerear) are excited by strong gravity sensation. Both sensory systems arerelevant to learning. Vestibular sensation and proprioception arestrongly associated with attention, eye movement and coordination(orientation to lesson). Overall muscle tone (readiness), head and neckmuscle coordination and integration of auditory/visual sensory systems(reading skill) result from vestibular and proprioception. Additionallythe student is alert, attentive and has strong body map for motorresponse (writing skill).

The chair, as used by an occupant or student, is shown is FIG. 8. Theshin-knee bearing surface 51 places the occupant or student in akneeling-like position at approximate working height to a desk, such asa classroom desk 80. The knees 90 and shins 91 of the occupant rest onthe knee-shin rest 51 while the feet 92 rest against and are supportedby the footrests 60 and 61.

The dimensions for a chair shown in FIGS. 4 through 7 for a fifty-poundperson are set forth below for a fifty-pound person are shown in detailin FIGS. 4 through 6. The height of the seat 40 and knee-shin rest 50above the base 70 are increased for taller people. Additionally, thewidth of the seat and the knee-shin rest are increased as well as thedistance between the left footrest and the right footrest for heavierpeople.

The supports 45 and 46 of the base unit or base 70 for the seat 40 areidentical in material and size and only support 45 will be described indetail with reference to FIG. 4. Support 45 includes a cap 5 thatattaches to the seat 40 as shown in FIG. 6. Cap 5 is attached to a 6″piece of 1″ PVC pipe 14. Piece 14 is inserted in and connected to areducer 44 that goes from a 1¼″ Tee 13 to the 1″ pipe 14. 1¼″ Tee 13 isconnected between a reducer 44 and a 1¼″ PVC pipe 3. Pipe 3 is 5″ longand houses the spring 47. Pipe 3 is attached to the base through Tee 4which is a 1¼″ PVC Tee having four outlets, 90° apart on the bottom.Support 46 is similarly constructed. The supports 45 and 46 areseparated at the Tee 13 by a 1¼″ PVC pipe 43 (FIG. 1) that is 3¼″ long.The supports 45 and 46 are separated at the base at the 1¼″ Tee 4, by a1¼″ piece of PVC pipe 44 that is 3″ long (FIG. 3).

The components for the supports 52 and 53, which are identical for theknee-shin rest 50, are shown in exploded view in FIG. 4. Support 52includes a 1¼″ plug 9 at the top of the support which meets with thebottom of the knee-shin rest 50. Plug 9 is inserted into a 1¼″ 45° elbow8 which meets with a 4″, 1¼″ PVC pipe 6. Pipe 6 fits into a 90° elbow of1¼″ PVC 7 to meet with the base unit or base 70. The base 70 includesthe bottom portion of the elbow 7 as well as an 8″ piece of 1¼″ PVC pipe5, Tee 4, a 5″ piece of 1¼″ PVC pipe 17 and a 1¼″ cap 12 as shown inFIG. 4.

The base further includes the footrests 60 and 61 which are attached tothe Tee 4 and extend outwardly from the Tee 4. The footrests 60 and 61are comprised of a 5″ piece of 1¼″ PVC pipe 17, that is terminated by a1¼″ PVC cap 12 (FIGS. 2-4).

The supports 52 and 53 are farther apart at the base of the shin rest 50than at the elbows 7 of base 70. The knee-shin rest 50 is at a 45° angleto the bottom of the seat 40. The elbows 7 at the base 70 of the chairare 5″ apart while the plugs 9 at the top of the supports 52 and 53 are7″ apart. This creates a fanning effect from the 90° elbows 7 of thebase 70 so that the 90° elbows 7 twist slightly outwardly from thecenter point between the elbows 7. The knee-shin bearing surface 51blocks the knees in such a way as to ensure a 90° angle between the hipto knee part of the leg and the knee to ankle part or greater jointarticulation (hip, knee and ankle). This requires a firm foam wedgeinsert in the seat 40 so that the seat 40 has a higher elevation at theback of the seat than in the front of the seat near the knee-shin rest50. The length of the tubes 5 of the base 70 that run parallel on thefloor allow the occupant or student a seating position that places thehips directly above and in line with the seat supports 45 and 46.Consequently, the occupants or students pelvis is set in a slightanterior tilt providing an active skeletal pelvic base for spinal curvesand dynamic adjustments up through the spine and neck musculature asshown in FIG. 8.

The chairs are constructed and dimensioned so that there is at least a90 degree articulation of the lower extremity long bones and a greaterthan 90 degree articulation at the hip, as shown in FIG. 8. The longbones are from the hip pointer to the middle of the knee and from themiddle of the knee to the middle of the ankle.

For a small child (kindergarten to 1st grade) the length of the longbones is typically 10 inches. For a medium size child (2nd and 3rdgrade), the length is 12 inches and for a large size child (4th and 5thgrade) the length is 14 inches.

The seat 40 as shown in FIGS. 5A-5E is constructed with a 10″ by 6″ KingStarBoard (registered trademark) marine grade polymer sheet 144 of ¼″thickness. The polymer sheet is the exposed lower ridged support for theseat 40. To provide the tilt between the front and the back of the seat,a wedge 145 of ridged foam is placed on top of the base 144. The wedge145 is a firm foam material that is covered by a 1″ upholstery gradefoam 146. On top of foam 146 is a 1″ layer of SunMate foam 147. Anupholstery fabric 148 (FIG. 5D and FIG. 6) is wrapped around the foamand the polymer base 144 to complete the seat 40. The base 144 has twoholes 149, that are 5″ apart with a square opening to meet with carriagebolts having square undersides at the top that fit in the square holes149 shown in FIG. 5C.

The knee-shin rest 50 (shown in FIG. 7) is constructed in a manner thatis similar to the construction of the seat 40. However, the knee-shinrest 50 does not have a wedged shape foam layer but rather has arectangular shaped foam layer 155 with a uniform thickness throughout.The components of the knee-shin rest 50 consist of a top layer of 1″SunMate foam 157 that is 7″ by 14″ in size. The top layer of foam 157fits over a 1″ thickness of upholstery grade foam 156, which sits on topof the 1″ upholstery grade foam 155 that rests on a 7″ by 14″ cellularmarine grade polymer utility sheet 152. Upholstery fabric 153 is wrappedaround the foam layers 155, 156 and 157, to form a cover for the foamlayers, and is attached to the base 152. 5/16″, squared underside,carriage bolts 158 are positioned 7″ apart on the base 152 forattachment to the supports 52 and 53 through plugs 9. Plugs 9 aresecured to the base 152 by use of a fender washer and a 5/16″ nutattached to the 5/16″ carriage bolts that pass through the base 152.

A string 100, or some other means, is attached between the bottom of theseat 40 and the cross member 43 to prevent the seat 40 from becomingdetached when the chair is moved. The string is wrapped around crossmember 43 and knotted at the bottom end and is attached to an eye hook101 on the bottom of the seat 40.

In summary, the invention described herein generally relates to a chairfor an enhanced learning environment and is illustrated in the contextof certain material and dimensions, which are not limiting as to thematerials and dimensions that may be used. While certain exemplaryembodiments have been described above in detail and shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments aremerely illustrative of and not restrictive of the broad invention. Inparticular, it should be recognized that the teachings of the inventionapply to a wide variety of systems and processes. It will thus berecognized that various modifications may be made to the illustrated andother embodiments of the invention described above, without departingfrom the broad inventive scope thereof. In view of the above, it will beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the particularembodiments or arrangements disclosed, but is rather intended to coverany changes, adaptations or modifications which are within the scope andspirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A chair for enhanced student learning comprising means for sensingproprioception through the student plantor flexors to provide strongphysical sense of self.
 2. A chair in accordance with claim 1 whereinproprioception is also sensed through the students knee extensors.
 3. Achair in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sensing of proprioceptionis accomplished while the student is in a kneeling-like sittingposition.
 4. A chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein the student isin a kneeling-like sitting position with the feet held in place againstfoot rests.
 5. A chair in accordance with claim 1 comprising a seatmember and a knee-shin rest member.
 6. A chair in accordance with claim5 further comprising a pair of foot rest members and a base unitsupporting the seat member and the knee-shin rest member, with the footrest member being part of the base unit.
 7. A chair comprising a seatmember, a knee-shin rest member, and foot rest members.
 8. A chair inaccordance with claim 7 wherein the size of the members and the spacingof the members are dictated by the height and weight of the user.
 9. Achair in accordance with claim 7 further comprising a base unit forsupporting the seat member and the knee-shin rest members, wherein thesupport for the seat member includes a spring to provide verticalmovement for the seat member.
 10. A chair in accordance with claim 9wherein the base unit is constructed from PVC pipe and fittings.
 11. Achair for enhanced student learning comprising means to elicit sensationto a student vestibular and proprioception sensory systems while thestudent is in a kneeling-like sitting position on a seat member thatbounces with movement by the student.